


A Little Nudge

by ThisisanOriginalTitle



Series: Gravity [2]
Category: League of Legends
Genre: F/F, I just learned how to use custom tags in ao3, Music, Wow, Writing Block, im tired ok, the struggle of being an artist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-06 05:35:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20286253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisisanOriginalTitle/pseuds/ThisisanOriginalTitle
Summary: It was time to make their debut song. Akali struggles with writing and Evelynn gives her some advice."At this point, the others already had a good idea of how to add their touch to the song. Everyone except Akali. All that was left was her own part, but ironically, this was where she struggled the most."





	A Little Nudge

**Author's Note:**

> This is written based off their Poprox interview, which I found hilarious cause Eve is Akali's #1 fan: 
> 
> PopRox: Akali, you perform on the street, right?  
Eve: You can’t stop her.  
Akali: Ha. Yes. Sometimes. I don’t want to be successful because people know who I am. I want them to like my lyrics because they’re good.  
Eve: They’re good.

"It's gotta be BOLD. Catchy. Punchy!" Ahri mimicked the action she described. "Our 'Hey world, this is K/DA!' song." She concluded with a clap, body teeming with energy, tail whipping about. 

Akali smiled. Punchy? That was her area of expertise.

Kai'sa laughed and did a twirl. "I'll focus on the choreography and leave the song writing to you guys! I prefer to express myself through movement." She did a quick dance routine, limbs flowing around to an inaudible beat. She always made even mundane actions look graceful. Ahri cheered and clapped, spurring her on. 

Evelynn chuckled. It was a bit too early for so much excitement, but it was entertaining. 

Ahri pulled the rolling whiteboard over, which had a silly cartoon of herself as a fox on it in the bottom left corner, popping the cap off of a marker. "Ok! Time to brainstorm! Let’s nail some vibes. I'll go first. I want everyone to keep their eyes on us cause we're amazing and pretty! Ok, next!" She pointed at Evelynn. 

The Siren inspected a clawed hand (Akali came to the realization that she never took them off) and smiled over it, slowly turning her hand into a fist. "Our music will be passionate; something we can wield like a blade." 

Their foxy leader nodded, marker squeaking as she wrote it down. "Like a blade, yes, yes!" She pointed at Kai'sa. "Bokkie! What's your game plan?" 

"Ooh! Well.. I want people to feel inspired. When they listen to the music, it should resonate within them and move them. Like they can be stars too!" 

"Inspirational! Good!" She quickly noted it. Then she pointed to Akali. "Alright K/DA’s official rapper, show us what you got!" 

She gave a sheepish smile, as all of them turned expectantly to her. "Well, I'm still working on it, but going off on what you all said.. It’s gotta be strong. I want people to feel pumped up, like.." She took a quick breath and started an improv rap verse, standing up, hands naturally gesturing to the beat, pretending she was holding a mic. "We're going to the top, and ain't nobody bringin' us down. You can try, but we're gonna wear the crown. You could go another round, wish you luck, but you're never bringin' us down! We go hard, til we get it. We go hard, we so in it. We only winning now!" She finished with a flourish and a grin, seeing all three of them clap. 

Kai'sa flashed over, wrapping her arms around her and jumping in excitement. "Akali, Akali!! That was so cool!" The rapper merely nodded, still trying to get used to that. She was a purple blur, and hard to keep track of, even for the ninja. 

Ahri wiped a tear from her eye, so proud of her team. "You guys are awesome." She wrote down the gist of the rap on the board, then slapped it, making it wobble and almost fall over. "Okay! This is our starting point! I'll let the rest of you figure out what else you wanna add, so keep it up!" 

They broke for brunch, Kai'sa heading off to the studio to get started on the choreography afterwards. Ahri left to go meet with the manager and producer, to give them an update on the song progress. This left Akali with Evelynn. 

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, Akali zoning out to the omelette Kai'sa made. In the few times they were left alone, neither really said much. Akali was unsure of how or where to start a conversation, and Evelynn usually choosing to either scroll through her phone, or stare at her and watch whatever she was doing. Like she was a known thief walking through a jewelry store and Eve was security. 

Just like right now. Akali met her gaze for a few moments before glancing away, opting to stare out the window of the kitchen, watching the cars zip by. 

"That was good." Was all the Siren said, waiting for her to finish chewing. 

"Yeah, Bokkie is a great cook." She always put in just the right amount of salt.

Eve chuckled. "I meant your rap." 

"Oh. Uh, thanks." She stared at the scraps of egg on her plate, pushing them around with her fork. Well that was stupid.

Eve rolled her wine glass around in her hand before taking a sip. Akali figured she’d be a day drinker. "So, what about me bothers you?" She placed the glass back down, shifting to lean an elbow on the table. 

Akali looked up at Eve again, pausing mid chew at the sudden question. "What?" 

Evelynn drummed a claw tipped hand on the table, nonchalantly inspecting the other hand. "Clearly I make you uncomfortable. You're much more relaxed when I'm not around." 

Akali shook her head, like she was a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She pondered the question, mulling it over so she wouldn't give off the wrong impression. "Because.. you don't use your voice." 

This caught the Siren's attention, who quirked an eyebrow up. "You want me to sing?"

"No, I mean, you're hard to read; I never know what you're thinking," Akali explained, furrowing her brow. "And you keep staring at me. It's.. unsettling. Like you’re just waiting for me to mess up or plotting my murder or something. I can’t tell if you even like me or just like messing with me. So there. Sorry if I'm defensive. But until you can prove your intentions, I can't trust you." She finished, setting the fork down onto the plate. 

"Mm." The siren seemed to contemplate the answer. Then she chuckled. "Oh Rogue, you continue to surprise me." She leaned in closer, smile widening. "You're so cute." She emphasized the comment with a boop on her nose. 

Akali leaned back reactively, lips curled in a slight snarl. So much for a straightforward answer. "That's all you have to say?!" She felt cheated. Here she was, trying to have an honest discussion and Eve took it as if it were a joke. 

But Evelynn was already getting up, walking over to grab her purse. Did she put a little extra sashay in her hips on purpose? "I'm going out for a drive, darling. Feel free to join."

“No thanks.” Akali shook her head, bringing her plate over to the sink. She just couldn’t figure the diva out.

Days pass like this, where the group meets to discuss their contributions, bouncing ideas off one another, and getting feedback before breaking off on their own to revise their parts or mill about with their daily duties. Eve skipped half of the meetings, sometimes giving a reason as to why, and other times just not bothering to show up. Out of everyone, she seemed the least concerned about the song progress, despite being a main vocalist. 

Ahri ensured the newer members that it was just how Evelynn worked. 

They had most of the song structure nailed down, deciding to go with Akali’s earlier improv as the chorus. At this point, the others already had a good idea of how to add their touch to the song. Everyone except Akali. All that was left was her own part, but ironically, this was where she struggled the most. 

Ahri was the first to notice, attempting to offer her advice through the creative block. "Just be you! Don’t overthink it. Go with whatever inspires you." 

Her raps were usually spur of the moment, she'd whip them up and spit them out like machine gun fire. It wasn't that the words were failing to come to her. It was that there were too many. She had so many drafts. Lines upon lines of verses. She wrote, and rewrote, then wrote, and rewrote. Again and again. There was so much to potentially share. Be me? How could she possibly decide what to keep and toss away? What sort of message did she want to send to the world, what kind of face to show? It was like she was walking in circles, tripping over the same spot. Akali's frustration grew by the day, melting into the insecurities in the back of her mind.

But, she tried to heed Ahri’s advice. She wrote about whatever inspired her, whatever came to mind about her current situation. She even wrote about Evelynn. As much as Akali was wary of the woman, she didn’t deny that there was an intriguing air of mystery to her. Like she was some kind of unknown artifact, dazzling and incomprehensible. Nothing that Akali had ever seen. It made her want to take a closer look, and keep her distance at the same time. She would never admit it, though. Mostly because it would be embarrassing, but also because she didn’t want to reveal her hand to the Siren, and give her yet another advantage over their unnamed game. 

She groaned, putting her tablet with the open draft down and rubbing her eyes. It was 2 am and she was the only one still awake, practicing her verses. She was up late every night; she was almost there. So close. But, still dancing out of her grasp; it just didn’t feel right yet. Ahri needed to submit a final draft to the producers soon, saying they were starting to lay down the pressure on having something to show for their efforts, and Akali would be damned if she was going to be the one to hold them back. 

Steeling herself, she started yet again. "I'm a ninja with a blade, see me and soon you’ll be dead, come on and shout my name loud loud loud loud - Argh! No.." she sighed. There was a knock on her door. “Look, I’m almost done.” She figured Ahri would check in on her, probably concerned about the bags under her eyes. 

“You don’t sound so sure, Rogue.” The hair on the back of Akali’s neck stood up. When did Evelynn get in? Akali hadn’t heard the door at all. The diva materialised out of the shadows in the corner of her room, reminded yet again that they were all far from human, despite their appearances. 

“I’m just… experimenting.” The rapper muttered. 

She chuckled. “It’s okay to ask for help every now and then.” She sat down beside her. “May I?” 

Begrudgingly, Akali handed the tablet over to the siren. 

Eve read the lines of verses the rapper scribbled down, the room silent besides the soft clack of her claw tips touching the screen of the tablet every now and then, occasionally providing a soft, thoughtful hum. For some reason it made Akali nervous. As if she bared a vulnerable part of herself to the siren, awaiting her verdict. It was awkward, and she idly played a mobile game to pass the time. After minutes of consideration Evelynn looked at her again, offering the tablet back. "Here." 

Akali scanned the changes made. There weren’t much, just an edit here and there, the removal of one line too many. Then her eyes widened, a blush creeping on her features, focusing on one minor detail screaming out to her. 'I'm a goddess with a blade…?" she looked up to see Evelynn smiling. 

"Don't sell yourself short, Rogue.” She placed a hand on her shoulder. “Stop trying to be the best rapper in Asia. Just be it. Don’t hold anything back." There was a glowing warmth in her look, it made Akali feel like she was in the center of her her own stage, under the spotlight, and Evelynn was the only member of the audience. 

She nodded hastily, hoping that Evelynn wouldn’t notice the way her face heated up. Knowing her and her annoyingly keen observations, she likely did. And that only made it worse. "I.. wow. Thanks." 

Evelynn gave her signature throaty chuckle. "Don't stay up too late, now. Or Ahri's going to yell at me for keeping our precious maknae up past curfew." She got up and headed towards the door, turning her head back to look over her shoulder. "I look forward to recording this. Good night, Rogue," she purred, throwing another wink before walking out, closing the door gently behind her. 

Akali's heartbeat quickened, her stomach doing somersaults. That was the most pleasant and sincere encounter she’s had with Evelynn since she joined. Maybe she was wrong about the Siren all along. 

Eve's advice repeated itself in her head. Stop trying to be the best… Like storm clouds clearing to bright sunlight, illuminating the landscape. It was the spark to light the bonfire within her. Everything fell into place. She knew what she wanted to say now. Quickly, before the motivation escaped her, she wrote it all down. 

The next day she handed Ahri her final version, the fox’s eyes widening at Akali’s new additions. “Whoa…! This is great!” She hugged the rapper, patting her head. “I can’t wait to hear it!” 

Akali adjusted the headphones, foot tapping along to the beat in the recording studio, glancing over the lyrics on the tablet in front of her. Not that she needed them, knowing her lines by heart already. With a grin, she began, along with the rest of the group. 

You know who it is, coming ‘round again  
You want a dose of this  
Right now it’s K/DA, uh! 

The rest of them stopped, while Akali continued into her verse. 

I’m a goddess with a blade  
See me and soon you’ll be dead  
Come on shout my name  
Loud loud loud loud  
I could take it to the top  
No I don’t need your help  
Because I’m a bad  
Gal gal gal gal

She finished her part of the opening. Evelynn’s voice rang out right after; Akali’s eyes widened, freezing in place. Those lyrics...! 

And when I start to talk like that  
Oh you won't know how to react  
I'm a picture-perfect face  
With that wild in my veins  
You can hear it in my  
Growl growl growl growl... 

Damn, it sounded even better than she imagined. Her vocals were powerful and rich, like honey in the form of soundwaves, washing over your body. No wonder people called her a Siren. Akali’s face warmed up again, when Evelynn turned her head towards her, smirking into the last “growl”. 

They continued with the rest of the song, everyone in the recording booth cheering and clapping when they finished. The rest was left to the editors, but now they had their debut song. Next up would be the music video to go with it, but that comes later. 

Taking her headphones off, Akali could feel Evelynn looking at her again, the woman soon approaching, placing a hand on her hip and lips curved into a knowing smirk. 

"You saw what I wrote."

"I did. I liked it. How did it sound?" There was a slight smugness in her tone; she wanted to show off. 

Amazing. Phenomenal. Fucking magical. "...Good. Really good. Your voice suited it." And she meant it. It was the first time she actually got to experience Evelynn's singing in person. 

"Well, I have you to thank for those clever words." 

Akali tried her damnedest, but was unable to hold back the grin breaking out on her face, glowing under the praise.

Evelynn's smile turned mischievous. "So, 'Picture-perfect face' hmm?" 

The rapper's grin fell. "Well, uh… it's true." She shrugged. No point in denying it now. 

The Siren's smile grew. She looked like a cat that just got scratched right where it wanted, satisfaction written all over. "Thought so." She grabbed Akali's face, pinching it between her thumb and forefinger, squishing her cheeks and leaning closer, looming over her. "Oh darling, you're adorable~" she cooed. 

Akali tried to turn her head away, but found that Eve's grip was like iron so she was forced to look right into her amber eyes. Determined not to go down without a fight, she swatted at her hand to counter Eve's hold and backing away, but it backfired as Evelynn pushed forward, trapping the ninja against the wall, her hand soon pinned to her side. "Quit it!" She shouted, face reddening. 

"I love seeing you squirm." Evelynn laughed, drawing Ahri and Kai'sa's attention, who giggled at the sight of their maknae.

Kai'sa burst out laughing, immediately pulling out her phone to record the scene. "Akali, smile!" 

She got a scowl and a hand, an attempt to cover her face instead. "Kai'sa!" She spat. "You can't record this!!” 

Ahri had a wide, shit-eating grin. She gestured towards the two, and in her best wildlife narration voice, began, "And here to our left, we have the mighty Eve in her natural habitat, trapping hapless prey with her shiny claws and pretty face." 

Akali growled. “Ahri, shut up!!" She then gasped, as one of Eve's lasher's materialised, pinning her other hand above her. That was totally cheating. Gods, did she want to smoke screen and get out of here. 

The dancer absolutely continued to record the event, zooming in on Akali's face. "Aw, why not? Worried this will ruin your so called 'badass ninja’ image? Now the world will know the truth!" 

Ahri continued to narrate, walking closer to the duo. "The Evelynn used Charm, and it's super effective!! The wild Akali attempts to resist and escape, but fails spectacularly."

The Siren licked her lips. "I'll let you go on one condition." She leaned forward, talking right into her ear, letting go of her face to lift her chin with a clawed finger. "I want a kiss on the cheek." 

Akali glared at her. "No," she muttered. She may have let her guard down enough to be trapped, but she'd end this with her dignity. 

"Else you'll be trapped here forever~" 

"No." She stubbornly turned her face aside. 

"It's a battle of willpower!! Will the Akali give in to gain her freedom, or will she be stuck here til the end of time?!" Ahri announced, tail twitching with anticipation. 

"One little kiss and you can go~" Eve cooed. 

Akali snarled, sharing her fangs. "Let me go or I’ll bite you." 

"Oh my~! Careful Rogue, I might like that."

Ahri cackled. "Things are intensifying by the second!! We may have to raise this rating from PG to Mature!" 

Kai'sa oooooh'd in the background. 

Akali groaned, giving one last attempt to shake Evelynn off before rolling her eyes and sighing. Time to get this over with, she was embarrassed enough as it is. 

As quick as she could, she leaned forward and gave the diva's cheek a quick peck, retreating back to her precious position and determined not to make eye contact, grumbling under her breath. 

Ahri and Kai’sa cheered, high fiving. Picking on their newest member was fun. 

Evelynn decided to take mercy on their poor rapper, and released Akali with a smirk, the latter quick to disappear in a puff of smoke. She would have to make sure Kai'sa sent her a copy of the video later. 

She turned to her bandmates. Ahri and Kai'sa had to support an arm around each other, laughing too hard. "Well ladies, shall we get dinner?" 

"Ooh, I'll cook! I have a new recipe to try out!" Kai'sa offered, walking to the door with a bounce in her step. 

"Where do you think Akali ran off to?" Ahri asked, wiping a joyful tear out of an eye, looking around the studio for their elusive maknae. 

Evelynn shrugged. "She'll come running back once she smells Kai'sa's cooking." 

Together, (Akali hidden by her shroud, but following behind) they headed home.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are most appreciated! :)
> 
> If you've got any questions, recommendations, or suggestions, or want to just talk about these disaster gays, then feel free to leave a message below or send an ask on my tumblr:  
https://thisisanoriginaltitle.tumblr.com/  
I also draw and post my art there.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading!


End file.
